The traditional path of pursuing a college degree to become a successful business owner has proved worthwhile for some, but longtime Region resident Micah Luce decided to take a different approach.
Luce’s first year of college at Valparaiso University was met with a global pandemic, so the rest of the school year was quite untraditional. As his first year wrapped up, he realized he was not interested in registering for a second one.
Luce had been an employee at Uptown Cafe since 2017, working shifts after school and throughout his freshman year while learning the ins and outs of what it is like to run a business. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Luce put his fellow employees' needs before his, opting out of his shifts so that those who depended on their employment with Uptown Cafe could still receive their paychecks.
“When I first joined the staff, I was very involved in the business side of things because I have always had a very entrepreneurial mindset. I wanted to learn all of the inner workings and behind the scenes of the business,” Luce said. “I was as present as I could be trying to learn everything.”
After the pandemic, Luce knew that he wanted to move into a managerial role at Uptown Cafe. With the help of Tony and Shannon Rogers, owners of the cafe at the time, Luce seamlessly transitioned into a full-time manager position in September of 2020. Two years later, Luce purchased half of Uptown Cafe and officially became a partner alongside Tony and Shannon Rogers.
“During my transition into management, I tried to take on as much as I could in the business, and it honestly went really smoothly,” Luce said. “I had a good rapport with the employees, especially with the ones who started working as I was becoming a manager, so it was a good, natural time to move into management. It was a busy couple of years learning and being engaged with the business, but in 2022, I officially became a part-owner.”
In February of this year, there was a kitchen fire in an apartment above Uptown Cafe. The combination of the sprinkler system within the building and the fire department’s efforts to put out the fire flooded the floors and walls of the building’s bottom unit: Uptown Cafe. Since then, the cafe has been closed as demolition and renovation have been underway.
The biggest issue the cafe had following the flooding was its payroll for that week. Uptown Cafe was unsure how to issue paychecks to its staff members, and the Valpo community stepped in to do their part. After receiving an outpouring of support through many different alleys, Uptown Cafe was overwhelmed with the response from the community. They began a gift card sales program, where people could buy a gift card to help in the short term and use the gift card when the cafe reopens.
“I have heard people say that they bought a gift card just to help us quickly, without planning to actually use the gift card. It was such a blessing to see the community jump so quickly on board with that,” Luce said.
Luce hopes to reopen the doors of Uptown Cafe in July, eagerly awaiting the chance to welcome the friendly faces of the community that supported the cafe through this hardship.
“We run our business from a standpoint where everything is about customer service, and I think that is why so many people rallied around helping us,” Luce said. “We have really tried to provide people with smiling faces and a comfortable space to have a coffee and a conversation. I want our cafe to be a safe place for community members to know they are loved and cared for.”
In his free time, Luce enjoys spending time with his family, especially his six younger siblings, frequenting downtown Valpo to see movies and concerts. Luce and his wife are active members at Calvary Church where he leads worship throughout the week.
To learn more about Uptown Cafe and to follow its reopening timeline, be sure to check out its Facebook page here.